Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The European Commission noted that the coronavirus crisis hit youth employment the most, stressing that recovery is slower than in other age groups.
The EC pointed out in a statement on Tuesday that it released its Employment and Social Developments in Europe review, which shows youth was most affected by job losses in the crisis.
“It also shows that the recovery was slower for them than for other age groups… possible explanations are linked to their high share of fixed-term contracts and difficulties in finding a first job,” the Commission stressed.
Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, pointed out that “many young people are highly education, digitally skilled and take an active interest in ecological issues.”
He stressed that “2022 is the European Year of Youth, because the EU is committed to listen to young people, to support and improve their chances in life.”
Schmit pointed out that the EC wants to support Ukrainian youth as well by helping them enter education systems and labour markets in the EU.
Uneven recovery from crisis
The EC report notes that recovery from the coronavirus crisis is uneven, stressing that employment of people under 30 years of age is lagging behind other age groups.
It points out that more than 45% of young people had temporary employment contracts at the end of 2021 in contrast with the average for all workers of about 10%.
“Young people faced difficulties in meeting their everyday expenses, such as those for bills and rent, with 61% of them worrying about finding or maintaining adequate housing in the next ten years,” the body noted.
According to the report, socio-economic background and education level are important factors as youth with secondary education “are 19 percentage points less likely to end up in a situation where they do not work and are not in education or training that those with a lower education level.”
For youth with tertiary education, this risk is 28 percentage points lower, and youth from a disadvantaged background are the most likely to be unemployed and not in education or training.
The EC concluded that social and employment policies should focus more on helping young people to acquire skills, integrate into the labour market and build up wealth, among other.
